The Place to Talk Domains

The Importance of a Domain Name in Politics

You’re running for office. Choosing the right political domain name is crucial. Even if the job is to be the lowest elected city official. In today’s digital world, the single most important thing a political campaign can do is register domain names.

Launching your online presence begins by picking a domain. Once you have a web site, your adaptable domain name can get to work. Use it for radio and television, in print and online marketing. Considering the cost, political domains are the cheapest campaign expense that isn’t digestible.

Choosing a Good Domain Name

When selecting political domains, think short and memorable. The domain names of this year’s presidential candidates are simple: HillaryClinton.com and DonaldJTrump.com. Your political domains must maximize the limited time you have with the prospective voter in a one-on-one interaction, cold call, or at a rally or fundraiser. Radio commercials, print ads, and billboards only have seconds to imprint your political domain on the voter.

Political domains commonly included the election year. Most campaigns don’t do it anymore, because it limits use during future campaigns. Why expend your resources hammering a domain name into voters’ heads, only to start all over in a few years? In a political campaign, the domain can become an enormous brand asset.

If it’s available, go for FirstnameLastname.com or Lastname.com. If your first and second choice are taken, consider alternate strategies before adding a dash. Several studies have shown people forget the dash at least 30% of the time on the first attempt. Don’t let your competitor score your domain name without the dash. Some votes have even been lost by missing the boat on a perfect political domain.

Get It First

Imagine if a prankster points your name to an adult site. Keep your candidacy a closely-held secret until your digital house is in order, including domain name registrations. Cybersquatting political domains has become big business over the last several years. Pro Tip: Register political domains with a privacy service like FYNE‘s Contact Privacy to further keep your competition and the press off your scent.

Avoiding Missteps

The penalties to a campaign for not registering a domain can be major, as we will explain in an upcoming post. In the meantime, here is one example: